


Flight Delays

by ChettaDrabbles (KOranges)



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Airports, Fluff, It's been a long week folks, M/M, Missed flights, So so much fluff, The author wanted to post something happy, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 02:29:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11348007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KOranges/pseuds/ChettaDrabbles
Summary: Bucky was being an idiot. Over dramatic. He was absolutely overreacting to a very unimportant and insignificant situation. But he wasn't very much looking forward to the hell that was going to rain down on him when he told Winifred Barnes his flight was cancelled. With no other flights for the next twelve hours. He was in so, so much trouble.





	Flight Delays

**Author's Note:**

> Each of these drabbles are inspired by a prompt I received during an eight month long writing challenge. I'll only be sharing my favorites but every Tuesday & Thursday and I'll post a new one.
> 
> Prompt: "All of human life can be found in an airport"

Bucky was being an idiot. Over dramatic. He was absolutely overreacting to a very unimportant and insignificant situation. But that didn't stop the way his voice cracked and when he repeated his question to the ticket agent. 

“You’re sure the flight was cancelled?” He asked. 

“Yes, sir.” She shouldn't be smiling. He was pretty sure she shouldn't be smiling. 

“I need to get to New York.” He said, for probably the fifteenth time. “Today.” 

“I'm sorry, Sir, the next available flight isn't until tomorrow.” She was still smiling and Bucky was starting to hate the look of her pearly white teeth. “With the weather we have had to reschedule a lot of passengers for this afternoon. All of our flights are currently full.” 

“I only have three days of leave.” He told her. He'd told her before. She smiled again. 

“I'm sorry, sir.” That damn smile said otherwise. “If you'd like to try standby-“ 

He groaned. They'd been down this road already. “No, thank you.” 

“Would you like to book the ticket for tomorrow?” She asked. Bucky sighed. 

He nodded reluctantly, already thinking about the call to his mother her was going to have to make. She was liable to skin him alive. She was very excited for him to be coming home, even for a short time. It was his first visit home in a very long time. 

“You are sure there are no other flights available?” He asked. 

“None.” The smile was topping his list of least favorite things. 

“It’s just that I literally have 72 hours. And my baby sister is getting married. If I don’t get there on time I will have a line of Barnes women stretching the length of Manhattan waiting to kill me.” He took a deep breath, felt from the bottom of his stomach that he should stop talking, and then kept going. “I haven’t been home in four years. And frankly I had to be chased back by my baby sister’s wedding. This was already going to be a horrible trip. And you are making it so, so much worse.” 

To her credit the smile only faltered slightly. “I apologize sir; we are doing what we can.” 

“Of course.” And he was a crazy person. Bucky sighed. 

She smiled extra widely. “Wait over there for your new ticket.” 

“Thank you.” He backed up several steps to the waiting area reluctantly. 

He didn’t want to get give up, but he also was only willing to berate the ticketing agent for so long. He walked away slowly as someone else took his place at the counter. There were a lot of people in line for that particular desk. Weather had created an absolutely nightmare in the entire area. A normal person would be understanding. A normal person would not be having a mild anxiety attack over the idea of being 12 hours late to New York. 

And yet here he was, sitting on a bench by the doors of the airport taking deep breaths in and out trying to figure out how he was going to explain this to his mother. He had his phone in his hand but couldn’t quite remember how to dial. 

“Hey. Is that seat taken?” Bucky looked up and damn near choked on his tongue. 

There were people in this world that were gorgeous. Fucking stop your heart and make you reconsider your belief (or non-belief) in a higher power. This man was probably three or four steps above that. And he had this stupid little shy grin that made Bucky forget that he was fluent in four different languages. He barely managed inarticulate noises. 

“Are you ok?” The gorgeous man just stood there and stared at him. 

“I am.” Bucky’s mouth wasn’t functioning. Neither was his brain. “I am Bucky.” 

“Steve.” He gestured to himself and then the chair. “Is that seat taken?” 

“What?” Bucky wasn’t comprehending. 

“Is that seat taken?” Steve signed it as he spoke. Bucky felt like an idiot. 

“Oh. No. Not deaf. Sorry. Just distracted.” Bucky pulled his bags away from the seat and pulled out his phone. He was still avoiding the phone call he needed to make the phone call to his mother. The longer he put it off the longer that she lived in blissful ignorance of her son’s impending tardiness. 

“Are you delayed too?” Steve asked him. 

“Yeah. Trying to get to New York.” Bucky nodded. 

“Me too.” Steve smiled. It was big and wide and completely not fair at all. Bucky frowned. Even his teeth were perfect. He sighed to himself and leaned his head back against the wall. Steve fumbled with his bag and pulled out something from his bag. It smelled sweet. Bucky looked over in disbelief. 

“Are those Reese’s?” He asked. Steve had approximately no body fate. Bucky frowned. 

“They are.” Steve grinned and popped one into his mouth whole. 

“You eat Reese’s?” Bucky asked him. Steve just laughed. 

“Doesn’t everyone?” Steve raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Not when those people look like you.” Bucky laughed. He regretted it a second later when it earned him a wicked grin from Steve. Then, without hardly even breaking eye contact with Bucky, he took a bite out of the second one. 

“Look like what exactly?” Steve asked. 

“I hate you a little bit.” Bucky pretended to pout. He was in shape too but not like Steve and he didn’t even know the last time he had something sweet like Reese’s cups. It just wasn’t fair. He worked hard and didn’t look that good. 

An announcement interrupted their conversation, during which Steve finished his Reese’s. Bucky pretended he wasn’t holding it against him to an inordinate degree. His phone started ringing in his hand he just stared at it dumbly. Of course his mother would call to make sure that he made it on to the plane safely. 

“Somebody in trouble with their mom?” Steve teased. Bucky blushed. 

“I haven’t told her I’m delayed yet.” Bucky told him. 

“That won’t go over well.” Steve winced. 

“It’s my first time home in a while.” Bucky explained. “And I’m only home for three days. And my baby sister is getting married. Tomorrow afternoon.” 

Steve stared at him with slightly wide eyes. “How long has it been since your last visit?” 

“A while. Long while.” Bucky winced. Steve just whistled. 

“Good luck explaining why you’re late.” Steve laughed. Bucky just groaned when the phone went off for a second time. This time it was his sister. 

“I still haven’t told them I forgot my plus one.” Bucky said into his hands. Steve laughed. 

“Forgot?” He asked. 

“Well, forgot that I told them I would bring a date. Then I went and dumped him.” Bucky explained. The inclusion of his former date’s gender was completely on purpose. It was the easiest way to drop that he was both single and that Steve was definitely (most definitely) his type. The shade of red Steve turned told him it didn’t go unnoticed. 

“Well that wasn’t very smart.” Steve teased him. Bucky grinned. 

“Nobody waiting on you?” He asked. “I don’t see anyone blowing up your phone.” 

“I’m going home as a surprise.” Steve admitted. 

“Surprising your girlfriend? Boyfriend?” Bucky tried. Steve just laughed. 

“My mom.” Steve told him. 

“Oh, now you’re just making me look bad on purpose.” Bucky whined. The smiled at each other before dissolving into giggles. 

“I’m about to be deployed.” Steve admitted. “I ship out in a week.” 

“Military?” Bucky asked, his eyebrows just went up into his eyebrows. 

“Army infantry.” Steve nodded. Bucky stared down at his hands and it felt awkward. He knew most people saw the metal arm and assumed he was a veteran. But he didn’t like to talk about it. He certainly wasn’t about to talk about getting hit by an IED with a complete stranger. 

“Same.” Bucky admitted reluctantly. He lifted his arm. “Well. Not anymore.” 

“Because of the hearing thing?” Steve asked, making some sign gestures. Bucky snorted. 

“I didn’t make the cut for the squadron baseball team, actually.” Bucky joked. 

“Clearly that makes you unfit to serve in our Armed Services.” Steve teased him. He pulled another package of Reese’s from his bag and opened it. Bucky just gaped at him as he popped the first one in his mouth. 

“You’re kidding me.” Bucky groaned. 

“Nope.” Steve reached for the second one. 

“You get Reese’s. I get angry women.” Bucky whined. 

“Life’s not fair.” Steve started laughing again and Bucky had to look away. “But hey, on the bright side, at least you have an overnight in the airport between now and then.” 

Bucky groaned. “I don’t like your bright side.” 

“We can go grab some dinner and people watch.” Steve smiled at him. “My treat.” 

“People watch?” Bucky asked. It was the easiest way to disguise the internal victory dance he was doing over the idea of dinner with the hot airport guy with the beautiful blue eyes and big smile. 

“Oh, there’s all sorts of people in airports. It feels alive. It’s good.” Steve shrugged. 

“Do you ever try to guess what kind of lives the other people have?” Bucky asked. 

“No.” Steve just snorted. Loudly. Bucky grinned, delighted because it was a decided unattractive move and it was the first thing that Steve had given him. Bucky decided to make it his mission to make him do that again. 

“That man, over at the bar with the eye patch?” Bucky pointed. “Totally a hit man.” 

“Hit man?” Steve was laughing at him. 

“Definitely.” Bucky nodded. “Best there is. On his way back from a mission right now.” 

Steve studied him. “As opposed to, I don’t know, just a man with an eye patch?” 

“You’re not very good at this game.” Bucky told him. Steve surveyed the crowd. 

“That lady right there?” Steve pointed. “British secret service. Definitely. Here on a mission from her majesty.” 

Bucky laughed. “She’s probably 70 and looks more like somebody’s Aunt than a spy.” 

“The best spies blend in.” Steve shrugged, sipping his latte innocently. 

“You’re horrible at this.” Bucky laughed. He spotted a red head in a fashionable coat with matching luggage. She had tall, spikey heels and didn’t even look fazed. He gestured. “Now that is a spy. Russian. Maybe a defector to the US.” 

“She’s probably just a gymnast.” Steve snorted. “Or a ballerina.” 

“Again, you’re horrible at this game.” Bucky laughed, shaking his head. 

“I’d rather get to know the handsome guy sitting next to me.” Steve shrugged. 

Bucky was certain he had some kind of error message instead of rational thought for several minutes. He just stared at Steve blankly before turning a furious shade of red before even attempting to speak. Steve had turned a little red himself and was staring at his hands. 

“I get the feeling you didn’t mean to say that.” Bucky laughed at him. 

“Not out loud, no.” Steve nodded. 

The awkward moment was saved by the appearance of the overly-smiley ticket attendant from the desk. Bucky didn’t know if it was a good or bad sign that she was currently not very smiley. She walked over with an oddly serious expression on her face. 

“Gentleman, we’ve got availability on our last flight to New York this evening.” She said it as if it wasn’t good news. Bucky nearly cheered. 

“I can get on a plane tonight?” Steve grinned, excited. 

“I can get on a plane tonight?” Bucky said at the exact same time. His face lit up. Steve’s did too. The ticket attendant’s did not. The ticket attendant looked apologetic. 

“One of you can.” She said, wincing. At least she wasn’t smiling anymore. 

“What?” Bucky wasn’t comprehending. 

“There’s only one ticket.” She said quietly. “And the flight leaves in an hour.” 

“What?” This time it was Steve. 

“Technically you were both helped at the same time by different attendants.” She nodded. “It was decided that you two can decide which of you gets on the plane. But you’ll have to choose quickly to get through security.” 

He and Steve shared a look. He swallowed. “There’s only one.” 

“Only one.” She nodded and then started backing away. “Please come to the desk when you’ve made a decision.” 

“Well this is awkward.” Bucky didn’t look at Steve, he looked at his hands. 

“You’ll take it.” Steve insisted. He didn’t even look phased. 

Bucky looked up, hopeful. “Are you sure?” 

“My Ma doesn’t even know I’m coming. She won’t even know I’m late.” Steve told him. 

“Thank you.” Bucky bounced in his seat. He pulled out his phone and went to call his mom when he caught the way Steve was looking down at his hands. Bucky stared at him and just froze without dialing. 

He didn’t look sad. That’s not what it was. Steve didn’t even look like he actually wanted to fight him for it. But he was staring down at his hands with this disappointed look on his face. Not even disappointed. Bucky couldn’t name it. He just sat there and stared at Steve until the blonde man turned and stared right back at him. Steve glanced down at Bucky’s phone and up at him expectantly. 

“Don’t you have a call to make?” Steve asked him. 

“I did.” Bucky nodded. Steve waited. 

“Are you going to make it?” Steve asked. 

“Maybe.” Bucky was still building up the confidence to voice the thought that just popped into his head. Steve was reaching into his bag for the last Reese’s from his pack and Bucky reached out and snaked it. 

“Hey.” Steve shouted. 

“Ohmy ** _god_** _ _.” Bucky groaned with his mouth full. “I honestly forgot how good these are.”__

__“That was mine.” Steve whined. Bucky just grinned._ _

__“Well, if you’re hungry.” Bucky suggested. “How about that dinner?”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! And please go read some of the other fics I've posted while you're here!   
> I'm also on tumblr at Chettadrabbles. Requests or questions are welcome! Post a comment to let me know what you think!


End file.
